Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT1480
2009-11-18 15:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN/IRAN: TURKMEN PUSH FOR JOINT
how-toVZCZCXRO1581 PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHTRO DE RUEHAH #1480 3221522 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 181522Z NOV 09 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3758 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5890 RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0125 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 4132 RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001480
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2019
TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN/IRAN: TURKMEN PUSH FOR JOINT
COOPERATION ON LEGAL ISSUES
REF: ASHGABAT 0284
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4(b) and
(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001480
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2019
TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN/IRAN: TURKMEN PUSH FOR JOINT
COOPERATION ON LEGAL ISSUES
REF: ASHGABAT 0284
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4(b) and
(d)
1. (C) Pursuant to a December 2008 MOU between the
governments of Iran and Turkmenistan (reftel),Turkmenistan
is reportedly anxious to expand cooperation with Iran in
several key areas, including extradition, Iranian service of
process formalities, and the resolution of border-related
disputes involving land or farm animals. In a recent
conversation with Iran Watcher, Batyr Geldiyev, a Strategic
Analyst with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in
Ashgabat, detailed his agency's plans to advance mutual legal
assistance between the two countries as part of a larger
UNODC project aimed at promoting legal cooperation between
governments in the region.
LANGUAGE (AND OTHER) BARRIERS
2. (C) Geldiyev said the Turkmenistan Prosecutor General's
Office (PGO) approached UNODC for assistance in working with
Iran, and wanted help with even "very basic information,"
such as a copies of the Iranian constitution or statutes in
Russian, help with interpreting Iranian legal documents, and
contact information for Iranian government and judicial
officials. (He noted that the prosecutors were somewhat
befuddled after a first reading of Iran's constitution, at
both its length and theocratic references). Other than the
constitution, very few Iranian documents are available in
Russian, he said. In addition, most Turkmen officials are
not proficient in English, the language that Iranians use to
communicate with foreigners, further complicating
communications between them. Consequently, as part of its
project, UNODC is planning to provide English language
training to officials from the PGO's International Relations
department and others.
RESOLVING THE STATUS OF IRANIAN DETAINEES
3. (C) According to Geldiyev, the Turkmen government's chief
impetus for wanting better legal cooperation with Iran are
the dozens of truck drivers and others (the exact number is
unknown) who have been arrested for allegedly smuggling
narcotics from Iran into the country. Rather than bringing
formal criminal charges against them, Turkmen authorities
reportedly hold the Iranian detainees without trial for long
periods, releasing some on Turkmen holidays when major
amnesties are announced. The two countries have no formal
extradition treaty between them, so the lack of even basic
communication mechanisms has left Turkmenistan in limbo
vis-a-vis the detainees.
4. (C) COMMENT: Iran and Turkmenistan are enjoying enhanced
relations in the energy sector, with a significant increase
in gas sales to Iran and a just-completed gas pipeline
connecting the Dovletabad gas field to northern Iran (which
will be officially opened in December). President
Berdymuhamedov has visited Iran twice in the past year, and
during one of the visits reportedly had an extended
one-on-one meeting with Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Nevertheless, as the foregoing attests, contacts or
cooperation between lower level Iranian and Turkmen officials
have thus far been minimal. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2019
TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN/IRAN: TURKMEN PUSH FOR JOINT
COOPERATION ON LEGAL ISSUES
REF: ASHGABAT 0284
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4(b) and
(d)
1. (C) Pursuant to a December 2008 MOU between the
governments of Iran and Turkmenistan (reftel),Turkmenistan
is reportedly anxious to expand cooperation with Iran in
several key areas, including extradition, Iranian service of
process formalities, and the resolution of border-related
disputes involving land or farm animals. In a recent
conversation with Iran Watcher, Batyr Geldiyev, a Strategic
Analyst with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in
Ashgabat, detailed his agency's plans to advance mutual legal
assistance between the two countries as part of a larger
UNODC project aimed at promoting legal cooperation between
governments in the region.
LANGUAGE (AND OTHER) BARRIERS
2. (C) Geldiyev said the Turkmenistan Prosecutor General's
Office (PGO) approached UNODC for assistance in working with
Iran, and wanted help with even "very basic information,"
such as a copies of the Iranian constitution or statutes in
Russian, help with interpreting Iranian legal documents, and
contact information for Iranian government and judicial
officials. (He noted that the prosecutors were somewhat
befuddled after a first reading of Iran's constitution, at
both its length and theocratic references). Other than the
constitution, very few Iranian documents are available in
Russian, he said. In addition, most Turkmen officials are
not proficient in English, the language that Iranians use to
communicate with foreigners, further complicating
communications between them. Consequently, as part of its
project, UNODC is planning to provide English language
training to officials from the PGO's International Relations
department and others.
RESOLVING THE STATUS OF IRANIAN DETAINEES
3. (C) According to Geldiyev, the Turkmen government's chief
impetus for wanting better legal cooperation with Iran are
the dozens of truck drivers and others (the exact number is
unknown) who have been arrested for allegedly smuggling
narcotics from Iran into the country. Rather than bringing
formal criminal charges against them, Turkmen authorities
reportedly hold the Iranian detainees without trial for long
periods, releasing some on Turkmen holidays when major
amnesties are announced. The two countries have no formal
extradition treaty between them, so the lack of even basic
communication mechanisms has left Turkmenistan in limbo
vis-a-vis the detainees.
4. (C) COMMENT: Iran and Turkmenistan are enjoying enhanced
relations in the energy sector, with a significant increase
in gas sales to Iran and a just-completed gas pipeline
connecting the Dovletabad gas field to northern Iran (which
will be officially opened in December). President
Berdymuhamedov has visited Iran twice in the past year, and
during one of the visits reportedly had an extended
one-on-one meeting with Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Nevertheless, as the foregoing attests, contacts or
cooperation between lower level Iranian and Turkmen officials
have thus far been minimal. END COMMENT.
CURRAN